


The Play's The Thing

by billhighthescienceguy



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Dean and Cas are best friends, Fluff, High School AU, M/M, Shakespeare, Theatre, and then they're not, because they're in love, i think you'll like it, just read it, romeo and juliet - Freeform, sort of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-30
Updated: 2014-10-30
Packaged: 2018-02-23 04:39:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2534510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/billhighthescienceguy/pseuds/billhighthescienceguy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean is the lead in the school's production of Romeo and Juliet, and Cas is the handy stage manager. When the girl playing Juliet is out sick, the director has Cas fill in for her.</p><p>And yes, I know, 'the play's the thing' is not from Romeo and Juliet, but it was a good title.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Play's The Thing

**Author's Note:**

> This was another tumblr prompt :D If you want to send me prompts, you can at whatwouldjohnbarrowmando.tumblr.com
> 
> Enjoy :D

"And... Action!"

"Wilt thou be gone? It is not yet near day.   
It was the nightingale, and not the lark,   
That pierced the faithful hollow of thine ear.   
Nightly she sings on yond pomegranate tree.   
Believe me, love, it was the nightingale."

"It was the lark, the herald of the mourn,   
No nightingale. Look, love, what envious streaks   
Do lace the severing clouds in yonder east.   
Night's candles are burnt out, and jocund day   
Stands tip-toe on the misty mountain tops.   
I must be gone and live, or stay and die."

"Pause! That was great, guys. Dean, one thing, though, when you say 'night's candles are burnt out,' I want you to..."

Cas gathered up his belongings while Mr Garland finished giving Dean his notes. He unclipped his earpiece and gave it to the sound man, then pulled his sweatshirt over his head and swung his backpack around his shoulders. Dean ran up to him, grinning widely, running his fingers through his hair.

"I've almost got this scene down, I just have to figure out how to not trip over these words. Shakespeare's a bitch," Dean said, bending over his backpack and stuffing his script inside.

"Yeah, well, you'll get it eventually. You still want me to come over tonight to help practice?"

"Oh, yeah, thanks man, you're a lifesaver." Dean clapped Cas on the shoulder and the two of them exited the theater and walked out toward Dean's car. They climbed in, took off down the street, stopped at a bakery to get Dean his post-rehearsal pie, then sped off towards Dean's apartment.

They spend the evening rehearsing lines. Cas had helped Dean practice so much, he pretty much had all of the other characters' lines memorized himself. 

"No, truly sir, not a penny."

"Go to, I say you shall."

"This afternoon, sir? Well she shall be there."

"And stay, good nurse, behind the abbey wall.  
Within this hour, my man shall be with thee  
And bring thee cords made like a tackled stair,  
Which... To the... Ah, fuck. Line?"

Cas giggled and nudged Dean's arm with his toe. Cas was sat on the sofa, holding the script, and Dean was sat in front of him so he wouldn't be tempted to peek at his lines.

"Come on, you know this one, we've been over it six times."

Dean put his face in his hands and leaned forward so his stomach was almost touching his crossed legs. 

"Uh... Which to the... High... Oh!" Dean exclaimed, popping back up, wide-eyed. "The high topgallant of my joy  
Must be my convoy in the secret night.  
Uh... Farewell. Be trusty... and... I'll quit thy pains.  
Farewell... Commend me to thy mistress?"

"Yes! Okay, um... Now, God in heaven, bless thee! Hark you, sir."

"Uh... What sayst thou, my dear nurse?"

"Is your man secret? Did you ne'er hear say  
'Two may keep counsel, putting one away'?"

"Warrant thee, my man's as true as steel."

"Yeah... Okay, um... Blah blah blah... Something about Paris... Uh... Doth not rosemary and Romeo begin both with a letter?"

"Ay, nurse, what of that? Both with an 'R'."

"Blah blah blah... Of you and rosemary, that it would do you good to hear it."

"Commend to me thy lady."

"Yes! Good! You've got that scene down, we can move on."

Dean groaned and leaned back against Cas' knees. 

"Do we have to? Can't we take a break?"

"No, Dean, we have a lot left to get through, and the play's in two weeks. One more scene, then you can take a break."

Dean groaned again, but allowed Cas to flip through the script to find another scene. They worked their way through the infamous balcony scene, then Cas had Dean recite his soliloquy from Juliet's tomb. At 8:30, Cas decided Dean had done enough for the day, and they left Dean's bedroom and walked into the kitchen to eat dinner.

They did this every night. Cas was the stage manager for the school play, so he was really strict with Dean about practicing lines. Dean always complained, but he knew that without Cas, he'd never get it done. 

~~~

The next day, Dean and Cas walked into the theater, laughing loudly and chatting about their day. Suddenly they stopped in their tracks as Mr Garland ran up to them, arms frantically flailing. He looked distressed.

"Oh, thank God you guys are here. Guess who's out with the flu?"

"Um... The sound guy?" Cas guessed.

"No. Lisa."

"Oh, crap," Cas said. Lisa was playing Juliet. They were going to do a dress rehearsal today, and dress rehearsals are a bit difficult when you lack your leading lady.

"Yeah. So, Cas, I'm gonna need you to fill in for her. Is that cool?"

Cas nodded. "Oh yeah, definitely."

Mr Garland's shoulders relaxed. "Oh, thank you, you save my life, Cas. Okay, Dean, get in your costume."

They made their way backstage and Cas helped Dean with his costume. Cas had the script held under his arm as he zipped up the back of Dean's 1600-style outfit. 

"Dean, stop eating cheeseburgers, this thing isn't going to fit much longer..."

"Shut up," Dean answered, kicking his foot back. It collided with Cas' shin, and he buckled over, then stuck two fingers in Dean's side, making him jump. Just then, the lights flickered in the backstage room, indicating that it was show time, and they both put on their serious faces and headed to the stage. 

The first four scenes went as well as they could go, Cas holding his breath every time Dean paused to remember his line, then releasing when he spoke again. He was pretty proud of his friend. It wasn't Dean's first play, but it was his first lead role, and he wanted him to do well.

When they got to Act 1 Scene 5, Cas found it difficult to refrain from giggling when Dean had to talk about his beauty. Finally, they got to the moment when Romeo and Juliet finally meet.

Dean took Cas' hand and stared him in the eyes as he recited his lines. Cas mouthed the lines along with him as he spoke, just in case he needed a refresher.

"My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand  
To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss."

"Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much,  
Which mannerly devotion shows in this;  
For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do not touch,  
And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss."

"Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?"

"Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer."

"O then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do.  
They pray: grant thou, lest faith turn to despair."

"Saints do not move, though grant for prayer's sake."

"Then move not while my prayer's effect I take."

Then they both froze. Cas suddenly became aware that Dean's arm was now curved around his lower back, and his own hand was on Dean's shoulder. They were only a few inches apart. And they had reached the point in the script where the two main characters had to kiss.

"Oh, get on with it, guys! We have a play to practice! And make it look real, Winchester, I'm sure you can manage," Mr Garland called from the pit. 

They didn't take their eyes off each other. Dean swallowed hard and gave Cas a look that could only have meant "I'm so sorry about this."

Cas closed his eyes, and Dean filled the small gap between them, pushing their lips together as passionately as he could. Cas felt a little weird that he was kissing his best friend, but that feeling didn't last long. In fact, when Dean pulled away to continue the scene, Cas... _Disliked_ the absence of his friend's mouth.

"Uh..." Dean said, blinking at Cas, trying to remember his line. Cas snapped out of his brief trance and glanced at the script over Dean's shoulder. He mouthed out Dean's next line, and Dean shook his head as though he was clearing his thoughts.

"Uh, uh... Th-thus from my lips, by thine, my sin is purged."

Cas took a deep breath and felt his cheeks grow hot. There was another kiss coming up. 

"Thenhavemylipsthesunthattheyhavetook," he said, perhaps too eagerly.

"S-sin from my lips? O trespass sweetly urged!  
G-give... Give me my sin again."

Cas was ready for it this time. Dean bent over again and kissed Cas for a second time. This one lasted longer than the first. Cas could have sworn Dean was lingering. They pulled apart again, and they finished the scene, without breaking eye contact once. 

~~~

They finished their dress rehearsal two hours later, and Cas thoroughly enjoyed every kiss he shared with Dea- uh, every kiss Juliet shared with Romeo.

They packed up their things in an awkward silence, and Mr Garland bounded over to them happily. 

"Excellent work today, boys! Just do the show exactly how you did it today, Dean, and it'll be marvelous!"

He waddled away, whistling happily, and Cas blushed for the millionth time that night. Evidently Dean had done this dress rehearsal with Cas better than he had ever done with Lisa. Cas wondered if they would ever talk about what went down on stage.

"So, uh... I'll s-see you tomorrow then?" Cas said, watching Dean stuff his costume back in its bag.

"Oh, uh... Yeah." Dean answered, keeping his back to Cas.

"Alright... See you." Cas sauntered out of the backstage area and headed out to his car in the parking lot. He unlocked it, threw his bag in the backseat, opened the driver's side door, then spun around when he heard someone calling his name.

"Cas! Wait-" Dean was jogging over to him. Cas' heart pounded. He had never had feelings for Dean before, but... All those kisses on stage were... Well, better than any he had ever had.

"What's up?" He said as nonchalantly as possible.

"Uh... Hey," Dean said as he slowed his pace and stopped in front of Cas. "Um... Do you want to... I mean, can you come over and help me practice some more? I, uh... I want to get it perfect."

Cas swallowed. "Uh, yeah, sure."

 

~~~

The drive to Dean's apartment was awkward. It didn't occur to either of them to turn on the stereo, so they just sat in silence for ten minutes. When they reached the apartment complex, they made their way to Dean's home, and after stepping inside, headed into Dean's bedroom.

Cas sat on the floor with his legs crossed, fumbling the script just to have something to do.

"Okay, so, uh... Where do you want to start?" He asked. These practice run-throughs had never been this awkward before...

"Um... Can we go from the part where... They wake up in Juliet's room and Romeo has to escape?"

Cas heart rate increased. That scene contained the kiss he had enjoyed the most from the dress rehearsal. "Uh... Yeah, sure." 

They recited the lines carefully, taking what seemed like hours to make it to the bit they were both waiting for. Cas looked up at Dean and was surprised to see him staring at him. He turned himself around to face him without breaking eye contact.

"More light and light, more dark and dark our woes."

"Then the nurse comes in... And then... Then window, let day in and let life out."

"Farewell, farewell. One kiss and... And I'll... Descend."

Neither of them moved at first. They just stared at each other. Then, slowly, inch by inch, they moved closer together. Cas was sweating a little, and he noticed Dean lick his lips. When they were only separated by an inch of space, Cas closed his eyes and met Dean's lips with his own.

This had been the best kiss of them all. It wasn't Romeo kissing Juliet, it was Dean kissing Cas. And Cas liked it. No, scratch that, he  _loved_ it. 

They both stood on their knees and Cas felt their bodies press together. Dean's arm wrapped around his lower back and Cas put his own hands on Dean's shoulders. Their kiss grew more and more intense, and the grips they had on each other tightened with every pause for breath.

Cas pushed Dean back gently so he could sit on the floor, then he straddled his legs to kiss him at a better angle.

He honestly had no idea where this came from. He had never had feelings for Dean,  _never._ Cas had never really had feelings for anyone. But they had been best friends for years... It had just never occurred to him that there could be something more.

After several minutes, they broke apart, both gasping slightly for air. Cas looked down at Dean and Dean grinned.

"Um... So... That was-"

"Wait," Cas interrupted. "We haven't finished the scene, don't break character."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Do you really think  _that_ was  _in_ character?"

Cas smiled. "I... I hope not."

"Good," Dean said smugly. Cas felt his friend's fingers run along his lower back. "It wasn't."

"Good," Cas answered. He leaned down and kissed Dean's mouth once again. "You nailed it, though. Lisa's a lucky girl."

Dean smirked. "Well, maybe if  _I'm_ lucky, she'll be sick for a while, and we'll have to use a stand-in for Juliet again."

Cas blushed. "You know, if you want to do that again... You don't have to wait until rehearsal."

"Good."

"Good."

And they pressed their lips together once more.


End file.
